Contrasting ARQ (NASDAQ:ARQ) and N-Viro International (OTCMKTS:NVIC)

ARQ (NASDAQ:ARQ) and N-Viro International (OTCMKTS:NVIC) are both business services companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, risk, profitability, valuation, dividends, institutional ownership and analyst recommendations.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

18.5% of ARQ shares are held by institutional investors. 20.1% of ARQ shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 36.1% of N-Viro International shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares ARQ and N-Viro International’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
ARQ	-43.93%	-2.67%	-2.00%
N-Viro International	N/A	N/A	N/A

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares ARQ and N-Viro International”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
ARQ	$120.34 million	0.96	-$52.61 million	($1.29)	-2.08
N-Viro International	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

N-Viro International has lower revenue, but higher earnings than ARQ.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for ARQ and N-Viro International, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
ARQ	1	1	2	1	2.60
N-Viro International	0	0	0	0	0.00

ARQ presently has a consensus price target of $7.50, indicating a potential upside of 179.85%. Given ARQ’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe ARQ is more favorable than N-Viro International.

Summary

ARQ beats N-Viro International on 6 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About ARQ

Arq, Inc. is a holding company. It engages in the provision of environmental and emission control equipment to the power generation industry. The company operates through the following Segments: Refined Coal and Advanced Purification Technologies. The Refined Coal segment includes the Tinuum Group, Tinuum Services, and GWN Manager. The Advanced Purification Technologies segment refers to the sale of Activated Carbon Injection and Dry Sorbent Injection equipment systems, chemical sales, consulting services, and other sales related to the reduction of emissions in the coal-fired electric generation process and the electric utility industry. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Greenwood Village, CO.

About N-Viro International

N-Viro International Corporation markets its N-Viro Fuel technology that produces a renewable alternative fuel product out of certain bio-organic wastes. N-Viro Fuel is a patented biomass alternative energy fuel process that produces a product that has physical and chemical characteristics similar to certain coals and is created from municipal biosolids, collectable animal manure, pulp and paper sludge, and other organic wastes. The company owns and licenses the N-Viro Process, a patented technology to treat and recycle wastewater sludges and other bio-organic wastes, utilizing certain alkaline by-products produced by the cement, lime, and other industries, as well as electric utilities. Its N-Viro Process stabilizes and pasteurizes sludge; reduces odors to acceptable levels; neutralizes or immobilizes various constituents; and generates N-Viro Soil, a product that has a granular appearance similar to soil and is used in various agricultural applications. In addition, the company is involved in the distribution and resale of alkaline admixtures. N-Viro International Corporation was founded in 1979 and is based in Toledo, Ohio.